Scholarships Grants

Washington, D.C., United States (AHN) – The United States would lead the world in college graduates by the end of this decade according to the pledges made by the top executive of the country on Wednesday at a manufacturing plant in Alexandria, Virginia.

Addressing an audience at Alexandria campus of the “Northern Virginia Community College,” during an event promoting the program, “Skills for America’s Future Manufacturing,” President Barack Obama touched upon ways aimed at enhancing skills through training workers and investing in research and technology to give the U.S. an edge in competing with other countries.

Citing a student named David, President Obama emphasized the importance of the facility said, “David said whatever he ends up doing, the automotive training program here was “the spark (he) needed to get (his) career started.”

“We’ve got to light more sparks all across America, and that’s going to make a difference in the futures of individuals who are looking for a better life, but it’s also going to make a difference in America’s future,” Obama continued.

Setting a goal “that by the end of this decade, we are going to once again lead the world in producing college graduates,” President Obama said, “To achieve that, we’re making college more affordable and we’re investing in community colleges.”

With unemployment figures still hovering at uncomfortable levels and economy sluggish in recovery, Obama balanced his words saying, “Obviously we’re slowly recovering from a very painful recession … But there are too many people out there still out of work.”

According to the White House officials, the latest program aims to train half a million community college students for manufacturing jobs over the next five years, which would help offset the gap left by the 2.7 million older workers who will be retiring in the next decade or so.

On a lighter vein, Obama explained his rolled-up shirt sleeves, saying, “My sleeves are rolled up. I was getting under the hood (to repair cars).”

Amid laughter, the president asked, “Do you guys want me to work on your car?” adding, “Don’t do it,” with more laughter breaking out among the audience.

Earlier before addressing the audience of more than 100 people, President Obama wearing button- down shirt with the cuffs rolled up, no jacket, light blue tie, gray pants, visited a classroom calling out, “Hello, hey everybody, what’s going on?” as he entered.

President made it a point to ask each students name and then had conversation with instructor Packer, who said it is the 5th semester of doing program.

From the classroom, the president moved to a garage where a half dozen people waited with cars with hoods propped open.

After the instructor had noted that the facility was a hybrid repair class, President Obama told the accompanying journalists, “This facility here at NOVA is one of the few that provides that kind of training.”

“This is going to be the future so you guys are on the cutting edge,” the president told students, adding as he was leaving, “You guys are doing great work, keep it up.”

Obama administration officials have confirmed that the National Association of Manufacturers is now backing the program, “Skills for America’s Future Manufacturing.”

View full post on Labor Stories

Money is one of the common reasons why a lot of students are unable to go to school and finish college. For some senior high school students, getting an educational grant is one of the easiest ways to help them finish college without worrying about the high educational costs.

The high school guidance counselor usually provides high school students the basic knowledge that they need to know in order to get the best grant available to them. Guidance counselors also have a list of all the scholarships available, and if a student needs financial assistance, he can always approach the counselor to ask for this list.

There are different types of grants for school, and one of the most common is the academic scholarship. This is a grant given to students who have shown great performance in academics while in high school. Academic scholarships require their applicants to have a specific GPA, and if you do not meet this criterion, you will immediately be dropped from the applicants list.

For students who don’t excel in academics, there are several scholarships that are also available for you. Students who perform well in sports may apply for an athletic scholarship, while a student who has an impressive performance in literature may apply for a creative writing scholarship.

There are also organizations that provide educational grants for students who are interested in different fields like agriculture and fishery. If you don’t excel in different fields and is not good with academics, don’t lose hope. There are thousands of grants which are given to students who have great skills.

Don’t be discouraged about your low GPA when applying for a scholarship. Organizations and foundations are not always looking for top students. Some of them check the financial background of every applicant, and the scholarship is given to the person who needs it most. Try to look for as many programs as you can and send your applications to all these programs. Being rejected once or twice is nothing compared to being able to study for free.

Education is very important for us. Providing a good life for our family will be very hard if we don’t get a degree. Finishing college will help us learn new things that will help us improve as an individual. It will also make it easy for us to land on a better paying job. Preparing for your future is very important, and you should use all your skills to finish college even without enough money.

About Author
Many places offer scholarships just for being in a specific group. Take just a few minutes to get a free scholarship. That’s money for school that does not have to be paid back. Here it is, Free School Scholarships.

OK, you don’t have a 4.0 GPA, you’re not the senior class president, you can’t throw a football fifty yards, and your SAT scores aren’t generating letters or phone calls from Harvard, Yale or Princeton. So, you’ll never qualify for a college scholarship, right?

Not necessarily! There are lots of scholarships, and other kinds of financial aid for which you might qualify. Some colleges may offer you academic grants with a GPA of 3.0 and SAT scores of 1000. Ashland University offers scholarships to twins. Many church affiliated colleges offer grants to students who are members of their religious denomination. And that’s just the beginning.

If you are the son or daughter of a military veteran, if either of your parents work for a major corporation, if your mother or father is a member of a fraternal or civic organization, or if you are preparing for a career in a particular profession, there may be substantial scholarships for which you can apply, even if you’re not a top student or student leader.

Are you good at writing essays? If you are, your writing skills may be the ticket to a scholarship. There is even a scholarship for students who agree to abstain from using tobacco and alcohol while in college.

You may even qualify for a scholarship because of where you live, your last name, your ethnic heritage or race, or a disease or handicapping condition you may have. Get the idea yet? There are all kinds of scholarships, grants, and financial aid programs out there. Some require economic need or have other restrictions, others do not.

You can search through hundreds of thousands of possible scholarships (free!) in more than twenty different data bases at [http://www.college-scholarships.com]. While you’re there, you can sign up for a free email newsletter with articles on college admission, scholarship and financial aid programs, college survival tips, and income opportunities for college students.

At http://www.guaranteed-scholarships.com you’ll find scholarships given by individual college to all enrolled students meeting the listed criteria.

Student-athletes may visit [http://www.college-athletic-scholarships.com] to find the information needed to secure an athletic scholarship (or an opportunity to compete in a Division III or other non-scholarship program).

Don’t forget your school counselor, as he or she can be a great source of information about local scholarship sources. In fact, most high school guidance offices maintain a list of locally based scholarships. Parents and students would be well advised to explore the range of scholarships for which they may qualify as early as the ninth or tenth grade so they can plan to meet the requirements of as many as possible.

You should be aware that many private colleges offer substantial scholarships and grants in order to be more competitive with lower cost public institutions and/or attract students who might otherwise enroll elsewhere. These monies are often offered to students with very little or no demonstrated financial need. In fact, many private colleges frequently “rebate” 30%-35% (or more) of their tuition revenue in the form of institutional financial aid. When these funds are factored in, private colleges may ultimately be little or no more expensive for some students to attend than public colleges and universities with lower published fees.

If you can demonstrate financial need, as established by your answers on the FAFSA
form at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/ , you may want to apply to at least a few colleges which meet 100% of demonstrated financial need and do so with a reasonable proportion of gift aid to self-help aid (loans and/or work-study funds). Take note that although some relatively small number of colleges will meet the full need of all enrolled students, many more will be far more likely to meet or nearly meet the full need of stronger students.

To position yourself well to be a competitive candidate for scholarships, students should take the most challenging classes available, work diligently to learn as much as possible (not just to get grades), and get involved in co-curricular, community, charitable and/or public service activities. Here’s a good rule of thumb for all students; the more you have to offer the more you’re likely to be offered.

Remember three words…research, research, and research. The more time you spend investigating scholarship opportunities, the more likely you are to find scholarships for which you may be eligible.

Don’t let anyone discourage you. There are lots of people “out there,” including some educators, who are inadvertently spreading their serious misconceptions about who may qualify for financial aid and what is required to do so. Most important of all, do not fail to investigate or apply to a college you like because you think it is too expensive. That is one of the most common and worst mistakes a family can make. Remember, you never know what kinds of scholarships and/or financial aid you might receive.

However, just like you should have “fall back” or “safety” colleges in case you are not admitted to your first choice institutions, you should choose and apply to colleges that will be affordable if you do not receive the financial assistance for which you hope.

Obvious as it may be, I feel obligated to remind you to pay attention to details and deadlines when applying for scholarships because so many students fail to do so. I could hardly believe it when an independent educational counselor who probably earns in the neighborhood of $1,000 for helping a student identify and gain admission to appropriate colleges asked (on an email list serve) how many words above the limit one of her counsulees could go on his college application essay. Don’t make the mistake that she did by assuming there will be no penalty if you “come close” to the requirements or are “only a few days beyond the deadline”. If you don’t pay attention, be prepared to pay for your mistakes.
But, do it right and you have a great chance of getting some scholarship and or financial aid help. Good luck.

Dan Rosenfield is a university dean who creates educational websites as a hobby. Among his sites is [http://www.college-scholarships.com], one of the most popular college admissions and scholarships websites on the net. You can reach Dan at aegc@earthlink.net.

Author: Dan Rosenfield
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
US State tax list

London, England, United Kingdom (AHN) – A report by two anti-poverty campaign groups released Sunday charged British High Street shops of exploiting their Asian workers by making the employees labor in sweatshop conditions. The groups named the retailers and brands as Marks & Spencer, Next, Monsoon, Debenhams, Dorothy Perkins and Miss Selfridge.

Aside from poor working conditions of Indian workers, the groups War on Want and Labor Behind the Label, said the retailers pay poverty salaries and go against labor laws to pare costs to a minimum.

According to the campaigners, some workers get less than $90 (GBP 60) monthly salary and work until 2 a.m. to meet orders for clothes shipped to Britain. Some employees work 140 extra hours a month, but receive only half the mandated overtime rate.

It is the second time that Marks & Spencer has been accused of sweatshop allegations. Marks & Spencer recently released its danced-themed TV commercial with talent show judge Dannii Minogue, models Twiggy and Lisa Snowdon, singer W Brown, comedian Peter Kay and football commentator Jamie Redknapp endorsing the clothing brand.

The ad carries the slogan, “Don’t put a foot wrong this Christmas” and ends with the tagline “Quality worth every penny. The $90 paid by Marks & Spencer to Indian workers monthly is more than 50 percent below the living wage of $189 (GBP 126) in India.

Sam Maher, author of the report and campaigner at Labor Behind the Label, said in a statement, “Workers interviewed from these factories spoke of living in a climate of fear, where violence and systematic exclusion from rights was a daily reality. These conditions and their poverty wages are inexcusable. Brands sourcing from Gurgaon must take action to stop violence against unionized workers and make sure they pay prices that allow for a living wage.”

Monsoon declined to comment on the report. Debenhams and Marks and Spencer said they take seriously allegations of worker exploitation which goes against their companies strict ethical standards. The Arcadia Group which owns two major labels said it welcome the probe into poor labor standards involving their Asian factory workers.

Marks & Spencer reported a $948.75 million (GBP 632.5 million) pre-tax profit for the year ended in March 2010.

View full post on Labor Stories

In case you are right now enrolled or arranging to attend college or university in the near future, it is certainly not a surprising fact to you that the price of a college degree is Expensive with a capital “E”. Does that imply that only students who could receive student loans or have parents with cash to get rid of will be able to easily afford to go to college? No, and the funds you have to have may well be closer than you presume.

Do you realize that you could receive college scholarships? As opposed to a student loan or Federal loan application program, scholarships characterize cash that in no way demands to be repaid, never. The scholarship could possibly be just for a part of your education and learning or at the opposite extreme, there are college scholarships that pay for your whole ride, even though those kinds are less available. The point is that all these are all set for you just waiting for you to apply for them. Have you accomplished that at this point? If not, why don’t you?

In particular for almost any kind of minority group, there are a ton of minority college scholarships out there. You don’t suppose you might qualify? What would make you consider that? Prior to now, scholarships and grants were provided to individuals who experienced a defined financial need for the funds, where not acquiring the funds most likely resulted that the university student was not really going to go to college in any way. Or perhaps such items were simply given to college students who were academic smarties with an excellent gpa, or perhaps merely to the leaders of the football team, or the soccer team, or conceivably only the leader of the student council.

Nevertheless you must recognize that for the most part, those days are in past times. Today, there are minority college scholarships that you can certainly apply for and be certainly considered for, even if you are not any of these superstars. Simply just the work of applying for the scholarship would make you eligible to have it be granted to you. Various may well have constraints like your grade point average needs to be at least 2.0 which is a “C”, and i hope you can easily fulfill that rather small requirement.

Sure, the application will almost certainly request for financial information from both you and your mother and father, but that is not made use of for the goal of deciding who to award the college scholarship to but the data is made use of to classify and establish who is applying for the scholarship and what their base demographics are.

And so you imagine your application might only get lost in the shuffle? Here is one important truth to take into account if that is your reasoning: every year there are hundreds of scholarships and grants that are obtainable that end up unused and unwarded merely considering the fact that nobody applied for them! Think, if you applied for it and were the only one who applied, you would probably nearly without doubt have that scholarship now!

At this moment possibly you currently have got a scholarship, so may you nevertheless apply for much more scholarships? The answer to that query is completely yes, you could be awarded as many college scholarships and college grants as you really want, there is no restriction to it and there is no regulation that says you may simply have so many. Wouldn’t it be really wonderful to graduate from college and understand that you have no debt and zero student loans that now must be paid back?

If you have not started out applying for college scholarships and grants, at this moment is the time to move on with that. Make certain to stick to each one’s guidelines and pay specific attention to the deadline dates that applications must be submitted by. Make certain to fill out all necessary details so that you can be confident of being as eligible as possible

There is no secret about the fact that every time the economy hits a rough patch a vast amount of people decide to go back to school. People choose to go back to school in order to improve the level of skills and qualifications that they have. There are several reasons why people opt to go back to school and these include that they have lost their jobs due to cut backs or company not existing any more. Also, if you pay attention to statistics, a person with a bachelor’s degree will earn about $20,000 more per year than someone with just an associate’s degree. Also, someone with an MBA will earn almost $40,000.

Would You Like To Win Free $10,000 For Your Studies?

Getting a degree can also help you when you are trying to get a promotion at work, it can help you secure a job interview or you may simply be interested in starting a career in a new field.

If you are thinking about going back to school you will know how expensive it is. It can be very hard to find the money to pay for all the education expenses, however that is where the various different scholarship programs come in handy.

If you are a working father, interested in going back to school, let me recommend you take the next set of action steps in order to find and hopefully secure a scholarship that’ll get you back in college and in your way to earning a degree:

1. Go to the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) website and fill out an application
2. Do your research online or at a local public library about local or online colleges and universities that offer the degree or program that you are interested in and gather as much information as you can. These days, dads are finding that doing a program online is far more accessible than trying to attend regular classes.
3. Once you find a school that suits you, either visit or call their financial office and ask whether they have any other scholarships or financial aid available.
4. Sign up for the program and begin taking your classes. Before you know it, you’ll get that coveted degree and you’ll be on your way to financial independence.

There is an increasing number of grant and scholarships that are being given to dads. These grants and scholarships are designed to cover the cost of the tuition fees and all the equipment that you are likely to require in order to get your degree. The money that you get through a scholarship is not a loan therefore it does not need to be paid back which makes it highly attractive.

Get A Free Scholarship For Dads. Register Today!

If you are a dad and would like to take advantage of the available scholarships then it is worthwhile spending some time looking into them. It is very easy to apply and it can be done on the internet. The online application is a short registration form that will only take about five minutes to complete. Once you submit the online form you will receive a confirmation email. Don’t neglect this opportunity. It is reported that each year, about $300 million dollars in education grants and scholarships go unclaimed, so do your homework and you’ll see how easy it is to actually getting a scholarship to get that degree that you want.

Are you in need of some easy scholarships to help pay for school? Well, they’re out there. First, though, make sure you’re getting all the grant money you can. A grant is a chunk of money from the state or federal government that you don’t have to pay back. To get these you have to apply for financial aid through F.A.F.S.A. Most schools have a financial aid staff who will help you with this. Once you have your F.A.F.S.A turned in they will assure that you are getting the optimum amount of grant money available to you.

Most grants are for those who are in extreme need or are in some other minority group, they’re not merit-based. Grants may cover all or part of tuition but, for those students not able to work while in school, they won’t cover the cost of living. This is where those easy scholarships can bridge the gap.

There are few different ways to find easy scholarships for school. For instance, there are some organizations that can be found online periodically giving away money for college. For these you just fill out a form and you’re entered into a drawing, sometimes for thousands of dollars. There are other easy scholarships for which the only thing you need to do is fill out a form, but you also need to belong to a certain category of student.

Online scholarship databases have you enter information that will place you into categories. Don’t worry, these aren’t the ones based on G.P.A.! Women trying to reenter the workforce and single mothers are two major categories. There are simple fill-in-the-form scholarships for many other groups too like: minorities, athletes, being raised in a farming community, and being the first in your family to go to college are just a few examples.

Some large companies will help pay for school for those who are willing to try or promote a certain product. If it’s a product you already like then why not? You may have to do something like write a few reviews of the product or wear their logo. For some people this is an excellent option.

For those with specific interests there are more easy scholarships. If you belong to any kind of group or organization then ask around, look at the bulletin boards. See if they or one of their affiliates are offering some type of college scholarship. Sometimes the scholarships are for those with very specific interests or attributes, or the scholarship just hasn’t been publicized very widely. There will be fewer applicants for these scholarships so, with less competition, they will be easier to get.

Also, don’t forget to find out about the scholarships available only from your college or university. Most have at least one or two that are not merit-based and are not excruciating to apply for. The financial aid office and/or career center are the usual places for oodles of scholarship information. There will at least be someone in these offices who can tell things that have worked for other students Finally, when in doubt, apply anyway. You can’t get the easy scholarships if you don’t try and, after all, you just may be surprised!

About Author
Simple and straight to the point scholarships and grants can be found here: Easy Scholarships. Get the education you need and remember you don’t have to pay these funds back

Higher education abroad yet remains a fad along with most Indian students, mainly because of the foreign tag or stamp that they will have in their biodata after successful completion of their educational programmes. A large chunk of Indian students are going abroad for coveted diplomas or degrees in varied fields, so that they can move into the fast-track career path. Absolutely, education abroad lends vast credibility, for aspirants as well as industry are aware of the quality being delivered by various of the institutions across the globe, though some have opened as mere shops too, which we must to be careful about. Countries like the USA, the UK, Canada, Germany, Australia, France, New Zealand, etc., offer programmes across all sectors; recently name one and you will notice a plethora of them starting from foundation to specialised levels.

There are a little valuable aspects of study abroad that we need to appear at before we really land up in an offshore country. Let’s look at them one by one:

How to decide a programme – Tab your aptitude first and go for subjects and programmes that you are involved in. Don’t get influenced by the current trends. A course catering to a particular industry may not fetch the similar high salary after 3 to 5 years, which it is offering to applicants currently. But if you find interest in a particular subject then you will always find ways to shine in your work area; you can even reflect of opening your own venture in the connected field, in the future.

Countries and popular programmes – Programmes in Information Technology, business and management are largely popular with countries like the US, UK, France and Singapore. You can find Germany to be the best place for science and engineering programmes. Medicine and Aeronautics programmes are quite known in the US and Russia. Programmes in finance and accounting are something that the USA and Australia suggest in full swing. For hospitality and travel programmes, you can look at the UK, Australia and Singapore. While, for fashion and design programmes, Italy and France are favourite destination.

Start doing research – Make a detailed study of the sources for scholarships, fellowships, financial aid, work study or other assistance available. Opportunities for parttime work and related regulations in the university must be studied well in advance, though the first priority should only be studies. Find the academic requirements, including the acceptability of Indian qualifications, confirmed by the admission authorities. Search engines of Google, embassies and foreign offices of many overseas universities in India can provide you with all details about the programme you intend to go for in a exact country.

Visa interview – You require a valid student visa to study in a country offshore. Interview is a part of your visa application process. The visa officer’s aim is to be convinced that your study plans are genuine and workable. First, you should dress up in a formal outfit. Take all the supporting documents in a presentation folder. Get the order of documents so that in case a visa officer asks for any document then you should be quick enough to present that. Be prepared to clearly state your learning goals; your major; why you chose that major; your graduate school plans, future plans, etc. In addition you should be clear about the cost of living, the course and the finances part. Always maintain eye contact with the visa officer while answering the questions. Don’t be tense, you might skip valuable information.

About Author
Study Aborad is forever effective for indian students, mainly because of the overseas tag or stamp in their biodata. If you would like more information related with Study Abroad or Degree Abroad log on to Free Articles Directory.

One of the best ways to subsidize your college education is by obtaining a scholarship. As such, you should keep in mind the criteria that selection committees use in awarding scholarships. There are two types of scholarships available – need-based and merit-based. Need-based scholarships are awarded based on financial need. Merit-based scholarships, by contrast, are awarded to students who have distinguished themselves in one or more of the following areas.

Academics

Almost every scholarship involves some degree of academic achievement. Scholarship committees want to make sure applicants can cope with the rigors of college. As such, they will look at a combination of indicators (usually GPAs and test scores) and eliminate applicants that fall beneath a certain cutoff point. That being said, while a high GPA is important, most committees will also take into account your class schedule and reward you for taking challenging courses.

Leadership

Leadership means that an individual has the motivation, independence, and ability to complete projects and lead others. And while leadership can be shown in a variety of ways, scholarship committees typically focus on extracurricular activities or work experience. Committees tend to look for applicants that can work well with a variety of people, including teachers, administrators, co-workers, employers, and even various government and civic organizations.

Creativity

Scholarship committees value applicants with personality and creativity. Creativity can be shown through an applicant’s ability to play a musical instrument, sing, or draw. Applicants can also illustrate their creativity through less conventional means such as graphic design, auto repair, and computer programming. The important thing is to demonstrate that you are well-rounded and unique.

Physical Fitness

While colleges and universities do award scholarships solely on the basis of physical fitness – usually to exceptional student-athletes – many scholarships have some kind of physical-fitness component. As with creativity, committees are looking for applicants who are well-rounded – and that includes physically fitness. This does not mean you need to be star varsity athlete; it just means you need to demonstrate a commitment to health and fitness, perhaps by jogging regularly, by participating in some kind of intramural sport, or even by riding your bike to work.

Service

Scholarship committees like applicants who take an active interest in others and in the community. That being said, service should not be forced or faked. Committees need to be convinced that service is part of your life, not just a mechanism for getting a scholarship. Don’t worry, this doesn’t mean you have to join the Peace Corps; you can show meaningful service simply by volunteering at a retirement center or school fundraiser. The important thing is be sincere and consistent.

Courage & Determination

In addition to successes – academic, creative, physical, or otherwise – committees also value applicants who have demonstrated courage and determination in the face of difficult obstacles. These obstacles can range from physical, mental, or social handicaps to financial problems. The important thing is to explain to scholarship committees what these obstacles were, how you overcame them in order to achieve your goals, and, most importantly, what you learned about yourself in the process.

Finally, while each of these criteria is important, bear in mind that many scholarships will typically focus only one or two areas, so don’t be discouraged if you are weak in one or more of these areas. Simply identify your strengths and then find the scholarships that favor those strengths. With the number of scholarship available – and they are legion – chances are you will find a scholarship that is perfect for you.

It used to be that parent’s discouraged their kids from becoming artists. Now, the world of art is broad and can be very lucrative. And if you need another reason to convince your parents you want to go to art school, there are many schools offering scholarships and funding.

Art scholarships run the gamut from drawing to painting to photography to design and even include art of the culinary, musical and literary variety. Many art scholarships are specific to a particular state, county, or even a college in addition to the art major or art interest/ability requirement.

To get you started, here are some resources:

• Your University: Most Art Departments offer scholarships to students attending their schools, either directly through the school or through business, benefactors and foundations that support the school. Many schools also offer them to prospective students.

If you’re attending or planning to attend a university, contact your Program Advisor to ask what scholarships may be available through the school or department (if you’re already attending, definitely check in with your Art Instructors, too!). Don’t forget to look for scholarship opportunities on the university department’s web site or on a bulletin board near the Art Department office on-campus, where they also are often posted. Here are some typical departmental scholarship listings:

Baum School of Art
Birmingham Southern College
Cranbrook Academy of Art
Goshen College
Hendrix College
St. Lawrence University

Most universities do offer scholarships to students attending their schools. That’s because they really, really want to keep you there. These kinds of scholarships are the easiest to find out about, but somehow overlooked by many students who could benefit greatly from the funding…and from the prestige of winning!

Just to reinforce this idea of funding from your university or college, the Department of Education reports that at public universities, scholarship and fellowship expenditures have risen consistently from 1980 through 1995.

This may be an indication that there are opportunities waiting for you. Again, at the very least, you should ask your Advisor about other sources if there are none available at your university for your circumstance.

• L. Ron Hubbard Illustrators of The Future Contest. Established in 1988, the L. Ron Hubbard Illustrators of The Future Contest is an ongoing merit competition for new and amateur artists. Run on a quarterly basis, an eligible entry is comprised of three science fiction/fantasy illustrations done in a black & white medium rendered from the artist’s imagination. Should the artist win with this entry, he is then sent a story from the companion L. Ron Hubbard Writers of The Future Contest for which to render an illustration. This illustration then becomes his or her entry in the yearly Grand Prize competition. More

• Liberty Graphics Art Scholarship – Liberty Graphics is a Maine company, designing and printing t-shirts with concern for the environment. We are committed to the local economy and wish to encourage local talent. Liberty Graphics conducts a yearly juried art contest, and presents the winner with a $1000 award. The contest is open only to high school seniors who are a resident of Maine. Each year the contest theme may change. This year the contest title is “Art and Our Natural Environment”. Entries should reflect an appreciation of our natural environment. More

• NFAA Arts Recognition and Talent Search ARTS (Arts Recognition and Talent Search®) is NFAA’s core program. ARTS identifies high school seniors and other 17 and 18 year old artists in the disciplines of Dance, Film and Video, Jazz, Music, Photography, Theater, Visual Arts, Voice and Writing for scholarships and financial support. Through ARTS, NFAA annually awards up to $900,000 in cash awards (with individual awards ranging from $10,000 – $100)and makes available $3 million in scholarship opportunities to America’s most outstanding high school senior-age artists through its Scholarship List Service (SLS). More

• The Scholastic Art Awards -The Scholastic Art Awards honor students currently enrolled in grades 7-12, recognizing about 50,000 regional winners. Nationally, 800 young artists’ individual works receive Gold and Silver awards in each of 14 art categories. Art Categories are: animation, ceramics & glass, computer art, design, digital imagery, drawing, mixed media, painting, photography, printmaking, sculpture and video & film. Graduating high school seniors seeking scholarships must submit a body of eight works of art or photography for Portfolio Awards to their regional office of The Awards. More

• The WorldStudio Foundation Scholarship – Applicants must be pursuing an undergraduate or graduate degree in the fine or commercial arts, design or architecture – one or more of the design/arts disciplines below – and plan to enter a career in the creative professions. Applicants must be matriculated (or planning to matriculate) at accredited colleges and universities in the United States for the fall of the coming academic year and intend on maintaining full-time status for the entire year. International students studying at accredited colleges and universities in the United States may apply. More

• Charitable Foundations – The competition to receive funding from charitable foundations is pretty stiff, even from the local ones. That’s because they do a very good job of soliciting applicants, and the awards are often larger than the smaller groups. Nevertheless, there are hundreds of these organizations giving away millions of dollars every year. If you know of any locally, you should inquire. Or, you can take a glance at these, too:

• National Foundations -Andy Warhol Foundation, Donna Reed Foundation for the Performing Arts, Jackie Robinson Foundation
You can see that there’s a lot of work involved just to find these opportunities…but that’s nothing compared to the work you’ll need to put in to win them.

Bottom line: There’s plenty of scholarship money available in the arts. You just need to show that you’re worth the investment. And, if you are dedicated to pursuing a career in the arts, you may even enjoy the work it takes to stand out from the crowd anyway.